On this the first Tuesday of October we have an extra special edition of Tell All Tuesday! Joining us is a wonderful writer who is gearing up for the release of her debut novel!
I first met Vivi Dumas over at the paranormalists blog. I've read some of her work prior to release and she is without a doubt exceptional! We can all expect great things from Vivi -- not to mention what we all really love -- super hot sex scenes!!
Tell us a little about yourself, Vivi.
Let’s see. Where to begin? Main roles first. I’m a wife and mother of two beautiful and crazy girls. I’ve spent most of my life packing and unpacking. I was an Army brat and then joined the Army myself for a few years. I was born in Korea. Lived a lot of my life in Germany. Then move to Louisiana when I was a freshman in high school. I actually went to 3 different high schools my freshman year. The Army dropped me off in Maryland and I met this guy who convinced me to stay. I’ve been residing in Maryland for the past 16 years.
I’m a lover of all things paranormal. I read like a fiend or at least I used to before I got into this writing gig. Lately, I spend a lot of time at the gym trying to get back to my fighting weight. Lol.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve dabbling with writing since high school. Then I had my daughter and had to grow up real fast and pay some bills. Now that the kids are older and don’t need me as much I decided to try my hand at writing again. It’s been about a year since I started working on my first novel. Soul Catcher is my second novel. One day I might go back to the first one and try to make it right.
Hmm. I have a first novel like that! Maybe we can motivate each other!
Do you write exclusively erotic romance?
Um… I don’t consider my novel, Soul Catcher, erotic. Don’t get me wrong. It’s got some hot and steamy scenes, but nothing like my short stories. Plus my first novel was YA. So I guess the short answer is no.
What inspires your stories?
Right now the mystery and magic of New Orleans and the bayou have played a huge role in my work. I see the characters and they speak to me, drive me. Everything is kind of a jambalaya of people who I’ve encountered at one time or another, sometimes it just a certain type of person.
How do you choose a publisher? Who are your current publishers?
I tried to research all the different venues where I could submit my work. I asked a lot of other writers about their publishers. I picked publishers I thought me and my stories would be at home with. The short stories are a little different. I’ve been answering submission calls from various publishers for the short stories. It seems to be working out right now.
Right now I have my debut novel, Soul Catcher coming out with Decadent Publishing. I also have a short story coming out with them. I have a short story that will be a part of the Rumpledsilksheets Anthology with Ravenous Romance. Then my Christmas short will be published with Silver Publishing.
What is your latest release?
I don’t have anything out yet, but Salvation my vampire short story should be out this month with Decadent and hopefully Soul Catcher will be out in October also.
BLURB for Soul Catcher:
One of the top supermodels in the world, Angel, lives the life of the rich and fabulous, until a heinous car accident mars her face. After thirteen surgeries and losing everything she deemed important, she seeks out the dark forces to salvage her life. Angel decides to conjure the Devil for help, making a deal to recover her beauty. In exchange for his help, Lucifer forces her to hunt supernatural renegades, which have eluded the pits of Hell. In her quest to find beauty and get out of her contract with Lucifer, Angel stumbles upon love in the arms of a demon.
Oooooo, that sounds very intriguing!
What is your writing process like? How long does it take you to finish a story from beginning to end?
That hard to say and it depends on what you call beginning to end. It took me 3 months to write the first draft of Soul Catcher. Then it took another 2 – 3 months to edit and rewrite. That’s usually my process. I don’t plot. My story grows organically. Once I’m done with the first draft, I have to go back and fill in the holes. I hear it’s a lot more work that way, but it’s my way. Soul Catcher was even worse because what initially began as a secondary character in my mind became my hero. Jacque just refused to leave. Hahaha.
Is writing your full-time job? If not, how and when do you find time to write?
I wish. I beg, borrow, and steal time to write. Whenever I have an open moment I take it. It helps that my kids are older and don’t really need me unless they want money and my husband is a very understanding work-a-holic. I write while he works at night. I figure since I’m going to be up anyway might as well be productive.
Do you have other published works? Please tell us about them!
Unfortunately, technically, I am still unpublished until all my new releases come out. But I won’t have to call myself unpublished for long. Yay!
How do you market your work?
I’m working on a marketing plan right now. Currently, it is through social networking, my blog, and blogs of fabulous people like you that let me stop by. I am research ad space on various blog sites. I’ve looked at some out of the box things like writing a column for my local newspaper (they are looking for people for their online version) and other local magazines to get my name out in front of people. I’m always searching for that marketing gold nugget.
What do you love most about writing?
The thing I love most about writing is that it transports me to another world. It allows me to be something different that who I am today. I started writing at a very difficult time in my life. I was looking for a way to escape some of the stresses of my life. It let me pretend that things were different or I can make someone’s problem worse than my own.
Writing does the same thing reading does for me. Only with writing, I can make my own journeys and happy endings.
Who are some of your favorite authors and books?
So many. I am a reading junkie. If I had to choose, some of my favorite authors are Jeaniene Frost, Kresley Cole, Anne Rice, Stephen King, and Toni Morrison.
One of my most favorite books is Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice. I also loved Paradise by Toni Morrison.
If you’d like to learn more about Vivi, please visit the following websites!
Thank you for stopping by Vivi -- I can't wait to read your novel and short stories!
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